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Fish & Game CEQA filing fees to increase

California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)

CEQA Document Filing Fees

Pursuant to Fish and Game Code Section 711.4, the Department of Fish and Game shall impose and collect a filing fee to defray the costs of managing and protecting California’s vast fish and wildlife resources, including, but not limited to, consulting with other public agencies, reviewing environmental documents, recommending mitigation measures, and developing monitoring programs.

On September 29, 2006 Senate Bill 1535 was passed increasing the amounts of filing fees collected by the Department of Fish and Game, and requires the Department of Fish and Game to adjust the fees annually pursuant to Fish and Game Code Section 713. The annual fee adjustments are based on changes in the Implicit Price Deflator for State and Local Government Purchases of Goods and Services, as published by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The table below contains the CEQA filing fees for 2008, and the adjusted fees that will become effective on January 1, 2009. Annual filing fee adjustments are made available on the Department of Fish and Game website prior to November 1 of the year before they become effective.

The filing fees for CEQA documents are as follows:

CEQA Document

2008 Filing Fee

Filing Fee Effective January 1, 2009

Negative Declaration (ND)

$1,876.75

$1,993.00

Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND)

$1,876.75

$1,993.00

Environmental Impact Report (EIR)

$2,606.75

$2,768.25

Environmental Document pursuant to a Certified Regulatory Program (CRP)

$886.25

$941.25

County Clerk Processing Fee

$50.00

$50.00

No Effect Determinations

The CEQA filing fee will be waived if a project will have no effect on fish and wildlife (Fish and Game Code section 711.4(c)(2)(A)). Projects that are statutorily or categorically exempt from CEQA are also not subject to the filing fee, and do not require a no effect determination (sections 15260 through 15333, Title 14, CCR, Fish and Game Code Section 711.4(d)(1)). Regional Department environmental review and permitting staff are responsible for determining whether a project within their region will qualify for a no effect determination and if the CEQA filing fee will be waived.

If a lead agency or applicant anticipates their project will have no effect on fish and wildlife, the appropriate Department Regional Office of Fish and Game should be contacted. The corresponding CEQA document may need to be provided to the appropriate Department regional office along with a written request. The request should be submitted when the CEQA document is released for public review, or as early as possible in the public comment period. No effect determination requests submitted to the Department of Fish and Game should include sufficient documentation to support a no effect determination. Documentation should include a site description, project description, description of the project location, aerial and/or topographic map of the project site, State Clearinghouse number or county filing number, and applicant contact information. Documents submitted in digital format are preferred (e.g. compact disk). If insufficient documentation is submitted to the Department of Fish and Game for the proposed project, a no effect determination will not be issued.

For more specific information please contact the regional office where the project is located